The AT&T HTC One slipped out of some AT&T locations this weekend, a full week before its official launch date. Less than 24 hours later, the bootloader has been unlocked and the device has been successfully rooted using existing methods.

As it turns out, the international HTC One shares the same method of rooting and installing ClockworkMod Recovery. HTC tinkerers expect this method to work for all variations of the device, across all carriers, making the device ideally suited for developers. Even better, HTC’s HTCdev service will unlock the device’s bootloader. This was not confirmed as there was the slight possibility that AT&T would try to block HTC’s unlocking method. However, it appears that the carrier decided not to interfere with the process that HTC has set up.

While unlocking the bootloader is done by HTC, and therefore has no negative effects, the actually rooting of the device comes with the expected outcomes like a lack of OTA update support. In other words, if you don’t need to root your device for a good reason, or your comfortable with giving up OTAs, don’t go ahead with the operation.

The excitement regarding the Ouya game console is rising, as Kickstarter backers began receiving their consoles earlier this month. Now, the startup has updated those early-backers who still have yet to receive their consoles on when they can expect to receive their units.

According to the Ouya Kickstarter page, all backers should be receiving their shipments by the end of May. Shipments will continue to lag throughout this month, but are expected to pick up considerably in May. This is cutting it a little close, as the console is expected to be available to the public in June.

This may be a case of good news-bad news for some, given the recent announcement that the console will undergo some improvements before it becomes publicly available. It will be interesting to see if there are major differences between the initial models and the supposedly improved ones that will be released to the public.

With a Tegra 3 quad-core processor at its heart, Ouya will be compatible with a wide variety of Android games and emulators, which definitely helps pump up the excitement over the console. Luckily, we are in the home stretch before the Ouya Android game console becomes widely available.

Last month, we found out Gameloft’s intention to release a 4th installment of the popular game Dungeon Hunter. We were then teased with a trailer showing off just how serious the game’s graphics will be.

While everyone is eager to see if the latest iteration will be an improvement, it seems that those who are waiting will have to wait just a little bit longer.

Gameloft has just announced via Dungeon Hunter’s Facebook page that the release of the game for Android will be delayed. The company also posted a new exclusive trailer for the game (see above).

The iOS version of Dungeon Hunter 4 for iOS is already available as a free download for iPad and iPhone. Interestingly, Kotaku reports that the game is filled with in-app offers for better gear and even healing potions, and while they can be avoided, the lack of free healing potions apparently has a negative effect on the gameplay experience:

Healing is the absolute worst. The player is given three healing potions a day. Monsters do not drop them. There are no Diablo-like health globes to collect. There are skills that will facilitate healing on a smaller scale and health slowly regenerates over time, but for the most part your healing options, once those three potions are gone, are buy (20 gems apiece, with 200 gems running $1.99) or die. Or just stop playing and never have to worry about it.

Are you looking forward to Dungeon Hunter 4?

Several years ago, the Rockmelt web browser was born using the Chrominium source code. For this reason, the browser itself looks and behaves very similarly to Google Chrome. The idea was to develop a browser to serve as an alternative to Google Chrome by emphasizing social features that are not found in the competition.

In the next few months, Rockmelt will be discontinuing the web browser and launch Rockmelt for Web. This move is actually not a result of poor performance, but due to the fact that the Chrominium source code has a very consistent schedule for updates. As a result, it is costing far too much too keep up, which is absolutely essential to guarantee high and consistent performance.

Rockmelt for Web is a service that centers around content discovery and sharing. In fact, it could potentially be a popular migrating spot when Google Reader heads into retirement on July 1.

“Rockmelt.com is now a visual stream of the web; content from your favorite sites, your favorite people, and a dash of crazy stuff you never would have discovered,” say Rockmelt’s creators Tim Howes and Eric Vishria. It attempts to combine discovery tools like RSS feeds and services like StumbleUpon with social networks to provide a complete experience.

As of right now, Rockmelt for Web is invite-only. The only exception is users of the Rockmelt web browser and the iOS application have already received invites. You can however request an invite just by heading to the service directly.

Announced earlier this month, the Samsung Galaxy Pocket Neo is slated to arrive in the UK next month. While pricing is still unknown, you can expect it to be a lot more affordable than Samsung’s high-end devices.

The smartphone will ship with running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean out-of-the-box and feature a 850 MHz processor. It will also offer a 3-inch QVGA TFT LCD display, 512MB RAM, 4GB internal storage expandable via microSD up to 32GB, 2MP rear camera, and 1,200 mAh battery.

It’s clear that with the new Galaxy Pocket Neo Samsung is specifically going after consumers who want smartphones but don’t need the fancy specifications that drive the high-end market. With Samsung’s other major releases, the company is trying to offer devices to nearly every corner of the market.

While the Galaxy Pocket Neo has been announced at the same time with the Samsung Galaxy Star, which offers a slightly better processor, the latter has not received an official UK release date yet.

As the the digital age pushes users more and more towards cloud computing, privacy and security are becoming increasingly important. For the most part, people are generally accepting of companies like Google using their personal data while they are actively using their accounts. However, users are becoming more and more concerned about what happens to their data when they are no longer using it.

Google has just released a way to solve these issues and hopefully, ease people’s concerns over keeping their digital data private and secure. With its new Inactive Account Manager, Google lets the user control exactly what happens to his or her data should the account no longer be needed. Google does not care why the account is inactive, which means it could be a result of a death or simply due to the fact that a person no longer wishes to use the Google account.

Google is always under the spotlight when it comes to privacy. This is because the company has tons of data on its users and everyone is fully aware of what can happen if it is used incorrectly. While the company has recently announced that its Privacy Director is moving on, it is clear that Google’s strive to making its users more secure is not.

The first step is to determine a time frame for Google to monitor inactivity. You can set up a period of three, six, nine, or twelve months where, if your account is not used during this period of time, Google will consider it permanently inactive. Once, that time limit is reached, you can either have your data permanently deleted, or transferred to a trusted contact. Before this actually happens, Google will try to contact you via secondary email or text message. This ensures that your data doesn’t accidentally get transferred or deleted.

As of right now, most of your stored data will be deleted or transferred. This includes data from your Blogger, Contacts, Drive, Picasa, Google Voice, and YouTube. In addition, all of your Google+ data like Circles, Pages, Streams, and +1s will be included. It is important to stress that if you choose to have your data transferred, the person will not be able to actually access your account, which will prevent the recipient from impersonating you.

This new service may require some users to make a tough decision regarding friends and family. Google will honor your pre-determined wishes no matter what, as long it is within the limits of the law. This means that if your inactivity is a result of death and you’ve selected to have all of your data deleted, then friends and family members will not be able to obtain anything from Google.

Google’s take on a user’s death or the simple desire to leave is significantly different than other companies. As you may or may not be aware, companies such as Facebook and Twitter do not have an easy method of handling this issue. Neither company will hand user data over any person but the user. This can provide problems because it may keep friends and family from accessing important pictures or emails that would help “memorialize” the deceased. Regardless, Google’s latest service is absolutely essential in keeping users comfortable in the rapidly progressing digital world.

Verizon has just dropped the price of the Samsung Galaxy S3 to $99 with a two-year contract.

With the Samsung Galaxy S4 expected at the end of this month, this move is not surprising at all. In fact, it has become a common practice for cellular carriers, manufacturers and retailers to drop the prices of older devices leading up to a big product launch. This allows them to sell as much inventory as possible to those who would prefer a better deal as opposed to newer technology.

Just like Verizon, AT&T has recently slashed the price of the Galaxy S3 by $100, making the handset available for $99 with new two-year contracts.

While Verizon has yet to announce its Galaxy S4 officially, the device has reportedly been seen sneaking through the FCC. This all seems to confirm that the phone will be coming to Verizon in the near future. Verizon is also known for taking its time when it comes to announcements and releases, forcing its customers to be patient.

The Galaxy S4 will be available from six U.S. mobile operators in the upcoming weeks, with AT&T, U.S. Cellular and T-Mobile having already announced some availability details for their Galaxy S4 version.

Android Debug Bridge (ADB) is a tool commonly used by software developers and those who are looking to root and modify their Android devices. In fact, if you’ve ever rooted a device or have spent any time heavily customizing it, chances are you’ve encountered or used ADB before. In order for ADB to work properly, you must have the correct drivers installed on your computer, which is where things can get a little frustrating.

Unfortunately, different devices require different drivers in order to function properly. As a result, buying a new device could mean that your current ADB drivers are no longer effective. Additionally, users who use multiple devices may be required to have multiple drivers on their machine.

If you are a Windows user, then this will no longer be an issue. ClockworkMod founder Koushik Dutta — also known as just Koush — has released a universal ADB driver for Windows machines. This means that no matter what Android device you have or what version of Windows you are running, you will always have the ADB drivers you need.

To try the universal drivers out for yourself, you can head on over to ClockworkMod and download them. Github is also hosting the source code if you are interested.

PlayJam’s GameStick Kickstarter campaign ended about 2 months ago and since then it has been generating quite a bit of hype. With Android gaming gaining so much momentum, products such as these will undoubtedly become much more popular in the coming months and years.

PlayJam has kept its promise by shipping out the GameStick Dev units this month to those who signed up. All of the shipments should be out by the end of this week.

While early-backers were expecting to receive their units this month as well, it appears as though they will have to wait until June to get their hands on one. According to PlayJam, the delay is caused by “high demand” for GameStick, which made the company reconsider the manufacturing process in order to produce tens of thousands of units.

The company wants to use a stronger method of manufacturing for the official releases compared to the silicon-molded devices that the developers are getting. On top of that, these changes will apparently force the company to ship via sea transport instead of air transport.

This marks June as the month of Android gaming as that is when the other popular Android console OUYA will be shipping out to the general public.

Acer will be releasing another tablet to join the ranks of the Nexus 7 and the iPad Mini in terms of size and form-factor. While some may say that Acer is a little late to the game, it is very clear that high-powered, smaller tablets will always appeal to consumers.

The Acer Iconia A1-810 will sport a 7.9-inch IPS display with a resolution of 1024 x 768, putting it right on par with the iPad Mini’s display and only slightly inferior to the Nexus 7’s offering. It is expected to run Android 4.2 Jelly Bean out of the gate and offer a 1.2GHz MediaTek MT8125 ARM Cortex-A9 quad-core processor. It will also feature all of the popular connectivity options like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, and GPS.

The A1-810 also packs an micro HDMI port, a 5MP rear camera, a VGA front-facing camera, and a 3,250 mAh battery. The tablet comes with 1GB of RAM and 16GB of flash memory. The device itself clocks in at 460 grams and measures 208.7 x 145.7 x 10.5 mm.

Currently, only the French retailer Rue Du Commerce is taking orders for the tablet. It is priced at €199 (or around $259) and is expected to ship in June. Other markets and prices will be announced as the release date gets closer.